garnish

American  

[gahr-nish] / ˈgɑr nɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or supply with something ornamental; adorn; decorate.

   a free-standing wall whose lower reaches are garnished by hanging gardens.

   Synonyms:

   enhance, bedizen, bedeck, trim, beautify, ornament, embellish

2. to provide (a food) with something that adds flavor, decorative color, etc..

   to garnish boiled potatoes with chopped parsley.

3. Law.

   1. to attach (as money due or property belonging to a debtor) by garnishment; garnishee.

      The court garnished his wages when he refused to pay child support.

   2. to summon in, so as to take part in litigation already pending between others.

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noun

1. something placed around or on a food or in a beverage to add flavor, decorative color, etc.

2. adornment or decoration.

   Synonyms:

   garniture, ornament

3. Chiefly British. a fee formerly demanded of a new convict or worker by the warden, boss, or fellow prisoners or workers.

garnish British  

/ ˈɡɑːnɪʃ /

verb

1. to decorate; trim

2. to add something to (food) in order to improve its appearance or flavour

3. law

   1. to serve with notice of proceedings; warn

   2. obsolete to summon to proceedings already in progress

   3. to attach (a debt)

4. slang to extort money from

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noun

1. a decoration; trimming

2. something, such as parsley, added to a dish for its flavour or decorative effect

3. obsolete a payment illegally extorted, as from a prisoner by his jailer

Other Word Forms

• garnishable adjective
• garnisher noun
• overgarnish verb (used with object)
• regarnish verb (used with object)
• undergarnish verb (used with object)
• ungarnished adjective
• well-garnished adjective

Etymology

Origin of garnish

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English garnishen, from Old French garniss- (extended stem of garnir, guarnir “to furnish,” from Germanic ); cf. warn

Explanation

A garnish is a decoration or embellishment, often used with food. It is also the verb that means to do the decorating: you can garnish a baked fish with a garnish of lemon slices and parsley. Long ago, in 14th-century France, the word garnir meant, in part, "to warn or defend," a meaning that survived in one of the meanings of garnish, "to seize wages to pay a debt." But word meanings often branch out, and "to warn" came to mean "to arm oneself," and later "to fit out or equip." It came to mean "to embellish" in Middle English, and, from the late 17th century on, the word was used commonly for the embellishment or decoration of food.

Example Sentences

Private lenders, on the other hand, typically must sue you in court before they can garnish wages or seize your assets.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

But 92 minutes in Manchester quickly did for any such optimism, with the number of potential trophies that might garnish Salah's farewell swiftly halved.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

This is not a garnish; it’s a foundation.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

According to the Education Department, the government will garnish wages “only after student and parent borrowers have been provided sufficient notice and opportunity to repay their loans.”

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

They ordered hummus, which came swirled with sprigs of parsley for garnish.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye